Humla locals forced to walk three days for lab tests

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BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Humla, Feb. 27: Health posts of seven local levels in Humla district lack testing equipment in their labs. That has forced the patients to walk for up to three days to reach the district hospital or visit health institution outside the district. 

Namgyal Tamang of Yari village of Namkha Rural Municipality-5 said that local patients are compelled to walk for days to reach the district hospital for lab tests. He said that although there is a health post in Munchung, at a four-hour walking distance from the village, it lacks lab test equipment and so the health workers referred them to the district hospital.

If patients don’t undergo lab tests, they won’t be diagnosed with the specific disease, creating difficulties in treatment. Although there are four health posts in the village, none of them has lab test equipment.

"I was compelled to walk for two-and-a-half days to reach the district hospital for lab test after suffering from stomach ailment," said Bhaibir Rokaya, a local of Rahdev village of Sarkegard Rural Municipality-8. 

He said that no disease was diagnosed when he reached the hospital and had a lab test, but he had to bear the financial burden. \

The situation of all the health posts without lab test equipment had created hassle and financial burden to the locals of all the seven municipals. 

Sarita Bohara, Senior ANM of the District Hospital, said that there are 26 health posts across the district, but none of them has lab testing equipment. Despite having a legal provision making laboratory mandatory in a health post, that’s not the case here, said Bohara.   

The rural municipalities should arrange a laboratory in at least one of the health posts, said Bohara and added that but no one has paid attention to it.

The lab equipment is only available at the district hospital and the community hospital set up in Kharpunath Rural Municipality at the center of Yangchu Bazaar. All health posts in the district, however, are providing other services. 

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